Looking for a date night movie? Benedict Cumberbatch has the perfect recommendation.
But it comes with a twist. At the New York premiere of The Roses earlier this week, Cumberbatch told The Hollywood Reporter why his unconventional new comedy film is indeed a solid choice for couples to watch together. “It’s weirdly a date night film. You either go, ‘Oh, it’s never going to be that bad.’ Or you get to laugh at it vicariously, or think, ‘Oh, that that hit home,’ and have a talk about it and make sure it doesn’t go the way it goes for The Roses.”
The Roses is directed by Jay Roach (Bombshell, Austin Powers, Meet the Parents), and based on the novel written by Warren Adler, is a reimagining of the 1989 dark comedy The War of the Roses, starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. This time, it follows Cumberbatch’s Theo and Olivia Colman‘s Ivy as a married couple who’s relationship becomes filled with resentment and competition as Ivy’s career takes off while Theo’s plummets.
“At the heart of it, it’s about two people who, more than in the previous film, love each other to the very end; they just lose sight of that. That’s a very horrible juncture in their relationship where it starts going very south. (Laughs) I’m laughing because of how bad it goes wrong,” the Doctor Strange actor continued. “I’m very bad at taglines, but… ‘All is fair when love is war.’”
However, one of his co-stars, Allison Janney, who portrays Colman’s divorce attorney, playfully disagreed with that notion. “I wouldn’t say it’s a date [movie],” she laughed. “It’s a really satirical look at modern-day relationships. When careers fail or start up, and how it can jump around, and how you weather that as a couple, is something every couple needs to know how to do. It’s not easy, but if you can do it, it’s worth it.”
Also included in The Roses’ star-studded cast are Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou and Zoë Chao.
Roach, who’s known for getting some of the most iconic comedic performances out of his actors, told THR how he’s been able to pull that off. “The real secret is to cast all across the board people who can step up for each other. Surround actors with the very best other actors. I’m always sort of casting for our sense of humor and comedy capable, too. I like to make sure they’re not just dramatic actors, but also comedy capable.”
He went on to praise Cumberbatch’s comedic talent. “I thought Benedict was really funny in Patrick Melrose, even as Sherlock, I thought he had a weird nerdy comedy thing. And so I’m glad that he gets to sneak up on you on this one, because I don’t think people expect him to be that funny, and he’s freaking hilarious.”
The Roses is now playing in theaters.